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What are the career opportunities available to fresh graduates in India? What are the career options for MBAs in HR, Instrumentation engineers, computer scientists, software professionals today?
If you have been retrenched or could not find a job for quite some time after graduation then what should you do? What should you do to improve upon your skill-sets? What kind of employees do companies generally hire?
How important is your career experience when companies hire you?
Career Coach Amit Bansal answered these and other queries on jobs, employment and improving your chances of getting hired in a chat with readers on Monday, October 12.
For those of you who missed it, here's the transcript.
Rohit asked, I am fresh graduate. I have take GMAT and score is pathetic 590 can you tel me which college i can apply for.
Amit Bansal answers, at 2009-10-12 13:57:14I will advice taking up GMAT again and get a better score. The investment is too high to take up admission in a c grade institute
mamu asked, Dear Amit, I will be completing my graduation in Instrumentation engineering soon. What kind of employment opportunities will be awaiting me?
Amit Bansal answers, Mamu, opportunities are not going to be awaiting, one has to go out and find them. To your query on what career options exist for an instrumentation engineer: There are 2 options: IT Infrastructure Heavy Engg companies You will have to prepare yourself well for either or them. Organizations are looking for candidates who do not need 4-6 months of training/education after they join them.
Rishi asked, hello sir! i am fresh graduate in Computer Science. what are opportunities besides software development and networking?
Amit Bansal answers, Rishi, for CS students, Software development and Infra Mgmt are the best options. These two sectors will be the largest recruiter for fresh engg talent in 2010 as well. I will suggest that you choose one of the two and upgrade your skill-set. Let me know if there is any specific area that you need inputs on.
SPRIHA asked, DEAR SIR, I HAVE COMPLETED MY B.TECH IN ELECTRONIC & TELECOM. CAN YOU KINDLY SUGGEST ME, HOW TO PROCEED
Amit Bansal answers, Spriha, electronics and telecom engineers have bright prospects in the telecom sector. For the next year, telecom sector is going to expand at a neck breaking pace. There are 5 new companies that are going to set up their operations across India and the existing players will continue to grow at a rate of over 20%. So, opportunities will exist in this sector. Having said that, the sector will expect candidates to have functional knowledge on telecom sector. This includes knowledge of networking as well as terminal telco equipment. Make sure that you prepare for the same.
Bala asked, Hi Amit, I am 2009 passed out BTech(CSC) graduate. As you aware, the opportunities in IT sector are very less this time for freshers, I am thinking to join 'worked based IT training programme' from CMC. its called C-JET programme. There are many programmes like this from various companies. Can you tell me or help if this it is good idea to join in this programme??
Amit Bansal answers, Bala, in these times one will have to invest in upgrading the skills to match the requirements of specific roles. I will not be able to comment on specific brands/companies but I can tell you that you should be looking at 3 factors before choosing any program: 1. mapping to specific roles in the industry 2. client organizations where you will be getting opportunities 3. any specific outcome related payment model where your financial risk is minimized
parimal asked, DEAR SIR my wife has completed full Time MBA(HR) from BIT MESRA and her CGPA is 8.9, she has completed 28 years last month, we are not getting clue that how to hunt FIRST JOB in HR? KINDLY GUIDE US
Amit Bansal answers, Parimal, most of the first job for HR professionals involve recruitment related role. The market is picking up slowly, however lot of organizations are looking at an RPO model where the in-house team is pretty small. You should explore opportunities with HR consulting organizations and then eventually move to HR dept of some company.
ArjunEEE asked, Hello there. Im a B.E graduate in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. Im also currently doing a course on AutoCAD and Electrical Design And Maintenance. How do I begin my career. What are the other directions I can proceed?
Amit Bansal answers, Arjun, I will suggest that you try to get expertise in the program that you are currently undertaking. A theoretical training program will not help your candidature. Ask yourself this hard question- can I start working in an organization from day one. If the answer is no, try to fill-in those gaps.
gautam asked, sir ; i have done BTech-first class in mech.engr from nit-durgapore,this year,and also got first class in economics from london univ. thro external route.i am presently got admited to LSE in MSc in management and strategy,and will pass out oct 2010.do i have any good scope in india? presently i am appling for jobs from london.advise me which sector i should apply? i am 22+ yrs
Amit Bansal answers, Gautam, the job prospects are indeed better in India than in the west. In India, telecom, education and infrastructure are the sectors that are witnessing maximum growth. You have to be real in this environment. If you are too hung-up on a role related to strategy, you may not find that a bit tough in this economy.
aditi asked, Dear Sir, I'll be completing my B.Sc Statistics in May next year. During the course I've realised that doing a masters in Stats would be too difficult for me. Can u suggest, wat i can do? Can i get a job directly aftr graduation and in wat sort of profiles? Do will doing an MBA or LLB help me. (I'm interested in pursuing law.)
Amit Bansal answers, Aditi, if you have an analytical bend of mind, you can look for careers in KPO or Infra Mgmt sector. Further education never hurts, so an MBA or LLB will open up more doors for you. Legal Process Outsourcing is another booming sector in India. So if you decide to go ahead on law, it wont be a bad idea to also prep yourself on US laws. It will help you get an entry in the LPO sector.
hemant asked, I have done my Diploma In Computer Engg... Why do we Require graduates in all companies? The person shud hav skills within him....and must be talented.
Amit Bansal answers, Hemant, there are lot of jobs where diploma holders are preferred. I will suggest that you look at the following roles: 1. Remote Infra Management (RIM) 2. Field Support Executive These roles exist in both telecom companies as well as in traditional IT companies. Prepare yourself well on the Spoken and Written Communication in English if you want to apply for the RIM roles.
add asked, Sir, I m MBA with finance. where can i apply for job. getting marketing jobs, but not finance related. please tell somethiing which help me to get job
Amit Bansal answers, Another related question by Girish where he wants to move from finance to marketing. It is important that you get into a finance organization. You may be into a client management/acquisition role in a finance company, but it will provide you enough insights into various financial products. Eventually, you can move into the fin part as well. Make sure that you learn the complex financial products as you move along in the job.
jigs asked, Hi, I am a science gratuate and in 2nd semeseter of MBA from Sikkim Manipual University thru its distance learning. I have to select my specialisation from third semester onwards. Please guide me to choose specialisation considering after one year down the line market situation which will help me for my career. Regards, Jigs
Amit Bansal answers, Jig, bulk of opportunities in the market relate to business development/sales. Specialization in sales and marketing is a safer option. Apart from the specialization, i will recommend that you take some specific training into sales management and customer service as well. You could enroll for some short-term online programs for getting that exposure.
Shalini asked, I desperately need a job. Waiting for last 18 months to get a job after engineering. Parents Insisting for marriage and not supporting me with monetary help. Not getting a Job in BPO even as they dont take Engineering Graduates. Help me out. I can do anything to get a job in Software. I shall be obliged to any one who helps me out.
Amit Bansal answers, Shalini, have you invested in upgrading your skills in the last 18 months. If not, you should seriously think about doing that. Secondly, there are lot of freelancing opportunities for small projects. You can bid for these projects online and work on real projects. I hope you will take the effort of making yourself suitable for the IT sector than expect someone to come and offer you a job.
Mayur asked, Hi Amit, I've done B.E. Computers in the year 2008 and then I've done the SAP ABAP Certification in Oct. 2008. Since then I'vent got any opportunity to start with. Its been an year now. What do you suggest me to do. Also there are no openings for SAP Certified freshers now.
Amit Bansal answers, Mayur, the tough reality is that SAP freshers have very limited opportunities in this market. Try posting your resume with an option of working on SAP maintenance sites as a resident engineer. Those positions are still there. Also, you can look for some smaller ERP companies who have implemented in specific domains like education/hospitals etc. You may not get SAP experience there, but you may get started with such organizations in the ERP domain.
SPRIHA asked, THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION I WILL BE GLAD IF YOU CAN TELL ME THE 5 COMPANIES PORTFOLIO WHICH WILL BE SETTING UP THEIR OPERATION, AS MENTIONED IN THE PREVIOUS CONVERSATION
Amit Bansal answers, The new companies are: Loop mobile STel ByCell Swan Unitech Wireless
pamini_satish16@rediffmail.com asked, Dear Sir, I'm Satish, B.Com graduate, 28 years old with overall 7 years of work exp in healthcare industry & currently working as an Business Development Manager with a leading Healthcare company drawing 8 lacs CTC. I'd like to grow to the upper management level in another 3-4 years time. I'd like to go for an management degree to enhance my career. Is this the right time to do an managment course during this turbulence economic condition? kindly advice?
Amit Bansal answers, Satish, it will be a good idea to go for an exec MBA as you have the right experience behind you. Be realistic in the kind of salary you expect immediately after doing your MBA- you may not get a 100% salary hike. So take stock of your own liabilities and your ability to repay the loan for your exec MBA.
PawanRai asked, Hello, I an MBA (marketing) from Christ College, Bangalore. The thing is the jobs on offer are all sales jobs. How to go about finding avenues in other marketing domains, say, branding, product management, distribution, promotions etc etc. Also, do they value MBA (marketing) guys in event management companies like Wizcraft?
Amit Bansal answers, Pawan, thats the same question I had asked in my first job - these are sales jobs but I want to do branding, product management, pricing etc. The fact is that you need to grow into these roles. As a fresher, one does not have enough exposure to handle such roles. For instance, in HLL (now HUL), people spend 4-5 years in sales before moving to brand functions. Understand one thing about a career in sales and marketing, if you cannot sell and do not understand how the product sells, you cannot market the product. Be real, go through the grind of sales, prove your worth and then demand a marketing role.
Amit Bansal says, Even though I wanted to take more questions, I could take only a few of them. I hope these inputs were of helpful to some of you. I wish you all the best in your endeavor for a successful professional life. I leave the forum with the famous words- tough times don't last but tough people do!
Amit Bansal is the CEO of PurpleLeap (http://www.purpleleap.com/), a pioneer in entry level talent management.